This invention relates generally to a safety harness, and more particularly to a safety leg restraint for use by the operator of an all-terrain vehicle so as to aid in avoiding possible injury while operating the vehicle, be it a three-wheel or four-wheel type.
Recently great concern has been voiced for the safety of operators of all terrain vehicles, commonly referred to as ATVs. These vehicles have become a source of considerable controversy due to the large number of deaths and very high rates of serious injuries to drivers. Between the years of 1982 and 1987, approsimately eight hundred deaths and three hundred thousand injuries have been directly related to these types of vehicles. An average of twenty deaths and seven thousand injuries have occurred each month Nationwide in the last two years. It has been well noted that approximately half of such victims are under sixteen years of age. Another report stated that riders of three and four wheel ATVs can lose control and even flip over their vehicles when they strike ruts in roads, rocks or ditches. Due to their high center of gravity, such vehicles also have a tendency to flip over on steep downhill slopes. The slightest change in a downhill direction will often cause a vehicle to flip, thus throwing the rider and causing the vehicle to land or roll over on him or her.
Many injuries also occur when inexperienced drivers instinctively extend their legs so that their feet touch the ground in an attempt to stop or turn. It has been reported that in such cases one of the rear wheels is likely to run up the back of the respective leg of the operator, causing the ATV to flip over and thus throwing him or her off the vehicle.
Therefore, it can be seen that an important object of the present invention is to provide a safety leg restraint that helps prevent just these types of accidents from happening.
Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide a means of preventing the driver's feet from touching the ground when operating the ATV vehicle.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of this type that includes a belly strap secured about the body of the vehicle, to which a pair of oppositely arranged leg restraints are releasably attached. Each leg restraint includes a vertical leg strap having a stirrup formed at its lower end with a vertically adjustable calf strap, thus preventing the operator from extending either leg and allowing the legs to move in only a forward or rearward direction so as to prevent any engagement of either leg with the wheels of the vehicle.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device of this character that is particularly suitable for use by a novice rider of an ATV so as to promote safety until the rider is experienced enough to ride the vehicle without the use of the safety harness.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of this character that is easily worn and adjustable to suit any operator of an ATV.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a device of this type that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture yet simple and rugged in construction.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention.